Sheet glass cutting apparatus



Dec. 15, 1931. REECE 1,836,393

SHEET GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 15, 1926 da seph H. Peace.

Patented Dec. 15, 1931 PATEN'Il ICE JOSEPH A. REECE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO,

ASSIGNOR T LIIBBEY-OWENS-FOBD GLASS 00H- I'AI TY, 0F TOLEDO, 01110, ACORPORATION OF OHIO SHEET GLASS CUTTING APPARATUS Application filedSeptember is, 1926. Serial No. 135,015.

This invention relates tosheet glass cutting apparatus, and moreparticularly to means for removing the edge portions of the sheet as thesaid sheet passes through an annealing leer.

In the patent to Colburn, 1,248 809, granted December 4, 1917, there isdisc osed an apparatus for producing sheet glass wherein a sheet isdrawn initially in an upward direction from a source of molten glass,and subsequently deflected in a horizontal plane over a bending roll,after which the sheet is passed through suitable drawing mechanism intoan annealing leer. In this patent means is also provided at the sheetedges in the formof knurled rollers to maintain the sheet to width.These knurled rollers cause a thickened portion to extend inwardly onthe sheet a substantial distance from the often marred or roughened.

It, therefore, becomes necessary to' provide means for trimming of!these edge or- V tions of the sheet, and heretofore it has een customaryto remove the edge portions after the sheet emerges from the leer.

However,due to the diflerences in thickness and temperature between theedge portions and main body of the sheet, together with the so unevenessof the edge portions, better annealing of the sheet can be achieved ifthe edge portions are trimmed from the main body of the sheet durin theannealing thereof, preferably, althoug notnecessarily, at as theeginning of the annealing of said sheet. I The primary object of thepresent invention is to provide means for automaticall scoring the sheetand cracking ofi the knurle orroughened edge portions thereof as theiosaid sheet is being passed through the annealing leer.

Another object of the invention is. the pro: vision of improved scoringmeans capable of adjustment transversely of the sheet being drawn sothat the amount of glass being trimmed. ofi can be efiectivelycontrolled. Still another object of the invention is to provide meansfor scoring a sheet of glass along its border portions in a manner thatthe edges can be removed therefrom, before edge thereof, and thesethickened edges are the sheet to said sheet and edges have becomefinally set.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an annealing leer atapping or cracking ofi device, adapted to remove sections of glass froma sheet after said sheet has been suitably scored.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means forreceiving and conveying exteriorly of the leer the waste glass crackeoff from the sheet. I

- Other objects and advantages of the invention will become a parentduring the course of the following escription when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein'lik'e numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout. the same,

Fig. 1 is a transverse section thro lgh a draw pot or receptacle showinga sheet being drawn therefrom,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the annealing leershowin arranged therein sheet scoring and crac g means constructed inaccordance with the present invention, I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view Y of the cracking means andFig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the scoring means.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the sheet of glass 10 isdrawn upwardly from a source of molten glass 11 contained I in thereceptacle or draw ot'12. The sheet 10 is subsequently deflecte into ahorizontal plane and passed through an annealing leer 13, within whichthe sheet is supported upon a lurality of horizontally aligned rollers14.

eans are also provided the form of m knurled rollers or the like 15,disposed at opposite edges of the sheet 10 for maintaining width andpreventin the narrowing thereof. These knurled ro ers createcorresponding thick knurled or roughenededges 16 on the sheet 10, andthe present in-' vention has been primarily designed for automaticallyremoving these thick knurled edges as the sheet passes through theannealing leer 13.

In the present invention the sheet 10 is first scored longitudinallyadjacent the edges 1 thereof, and the scoring means embodies a pair ofvertical brackets 17 mounted upon suitable supporting beams 18positioned at opposite sides of the leer 13. Journaled within thebrackets 17 are the upper and lower shafts 19 and 20 positioned atopposite sides of the sheet. Mounted upon the shafts 19 and 20, adjacentthe opposite edges of the sheet, are the cutter arms 21'and 22 whichcarry the vertically aligned cutters 23 and 242. The cutters may beadjusted longitudinally on the shafts l9 and 20 and transversely of thesheet by means of set screws 25. In this manner the amount of glasstrimmed off of the sheet may be effectively controlled by simply slidingthe cutter arms along the shafts, and then securing them in the desiredpositions by means of the set screws 25.

Each of the brackets 17is provided with pair of spaced lugs 26, whilekeyed to the shafts 19 and 20 are fingers 27. Carried by the lugs 26 andloosely received through the fingers 27 are bolts 28 upon which arethreaded suitable wing nuts 29. Threaded upon the bolts 28 are nuts 28,and encircling the said bolts and bearing against the nuts 28 andfingers 27 are expansion springs 30 which act to rotate the shafts 19and 20 and force the cutters 23 and 24 into contact with the sheet 10.The cutters 23 and 24 can be moved to- Wards and away from each other tocompensate for various thicknesses of sheet by sim plyrotating the wingnuts 29 in the desired direction, and the pressure of the cutters uponthe sheet may be regulated by simply rotating the nuts 28' to increaseor decrease the tension of thesprings 30.

The means for tapping or cracking oh the edge portions of the sheetafter the same has een scored, embodies a lever 31 extendingtransversely through the side wall of the leer and ivoted intermediateits ends as at 32. The Forward or inner end of the lever is providedwith a head 33 adapted to contact with the sheet, and this head isnormally urged towards the sheet by means of a spring 34 secured to thelever 31 adjacent the outer end thereof and to a bracket 35. Mountedadjacent the leer is a drive shaft 36 upon which is keyed a cam 37, andit will be seen that upon rotation of the shaft 36, the cam engaging theouter end of the lever 31 will impart a rocking motion thereto. As thelever is rocked on its pivot, and the head 33 thereof taps the edgeportions 16 of the sheet, it will serve to crack off or remove theseedge portions. Itis also to be noted that the rollers 14, in advance ofthe lever 31, are slightly shorter than the other rollers as isindicated at 38 in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of carrying the trimmings or waste glass exteriorly ofthe leer, there is provided at each edge of the sheet a conveyor 39 inthe form of an endless belt, said co veyor being trained about rollers40 mounted the sheet adjacent each edge eas es upon shafts 41. As shownin Fig. 2, the waste glass 42 will drop onto these conveyors which willconvey it exteri'orly of the leer. From the foregoing, it will beappreciated that there has been provided novel and simplified means forautomatically scoring and cracking off the knurled edges of the sheet asthe same is being passed through an annealing leer.

The cracking-01f devices are preferably positioned so that they willremove the edge or border portions from the sheet as soon as the saidsheet has become sufficiently set to permit this cracking-off operation.With the present invention the sheet can be scored ion-- gitudinallyafter it has become substantially set, or if desired it can be scoredwhile still in a semiplastic condition and the edge or border portionssubsequently removed after the sheet has become substantially set.

Should any snakes form in the sheet in advance of the tapping ofimechanism, this mechanism can be moved or thrown out of operativeposition so that the snakes following the path of least resistance willrun along the score lines.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts ma bere sorted to Without departing from tli e spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjomed claims.

Claims:

1. In sheet glass cutting apparatus, means for supporting and carryingthe sheet in a definite predetermined path, vertically aligned cutterspositioned above and beneath the sheet adjacent each edge thereof forsimultaneously scoring opposite surfaces of said sheet, and means forsubsequently cracking off the cut edge portions.

2. In sheet glass cutting apparatus, means for supporting and carryingthe sheet in a definite predetermined path, vertically aligned cutterspositioned above beneath thereof for simultaneously scoring oppositesurfaces of said sheet, intermittently actuated means for subsequentlycracking oif the cut edge portions of the sheet, and traveling conveyorsfor receiving the removed edge portions and carrying them to a desiredlocation.

Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, this 10thday of September, 1926.

JOSEPH A. REECE.

